An Almost Perfect Moment

by Binnie Kirshenbaum

On the cusp of the great age of disco, and in a part of Brooklyn a million miles away from Manhattan, livesfifteen-year-old Valentine Kessler and her long-suffering mother, Miriam. Valentine -- Jewish, pretty, and a touch flaky -- is an unremarkable teenager except for two she is a dead ringer for the Virgin Mary as she appeared to Bernadette at Lourdes, and her very being, through some inexplicable conspiracy of fate, seems to shatter the dreams and hopes of people around her. John Wosileski, Valentine's lonely math teacher who adores her from afar, embraces the martyrdom wrought by his unconditional and unrequited love. Joanne Clarke, the bitter and sad biology teacher who schemes to be John's wife, reviles Valentine to eventual self-destruction. Valentine's best friend, a former figure-skating champion, humiliates her for the crime of being "different." But Miriam Kessler -- betrayed and anguished by the husband she once worshipped -- —loves Valentine only the way a mother could -- deeply, yet without knowing. Transposing one sensual appetite for another, Miriam eats and eats and seeks solace in a daily game of mah-jongg with her three girlfriends. The Girls, a cross between a Greek Chorus and a Brooklyn rendition of the Three Wise Men, dispense advice, predictions, and care in the form of extravagant gifts and homemade strudels. When Miriam's greatest fear for Valentine is realized, she takes comfort in the thought that it couldn't get any worse. But then something even stranger happens, and Valentine's mysterious presence becomes an even more mysterious absence. Written in a naturalistic voice that echoes that of the characters, An Almost Perfect Moment is a dark and sharply comic novel about star-crossed lovers, mothers and daughters, doctrines of the divine, and a colorful Jewish community that once defined Brooklyn. Sagacious, sorrowful, and hilarious, it raises questions of faith and plays with the possibility of miracles with one eye on the Be careful what you wish for.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Jewish, Chick Lit, American

336 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2004

About the author

Binnie Kirshenbaum is the author of two short story collections, six novels, and numerous essays and reviews. Her work is noted for its humorous and ribald prose, which often disguises themes of human loneliness and the yearning for connection. Her heroines are usually urban, very smart, and chastened by lifetimes of unwelcome surprises. Kirshenbaum has been published in German, French, Hebrew, Turkish, and several other languages.

Kirshenbaum grew up in New York and attended Columbia University and Brooklyn College. She is the chair of the Writing Division of the Columbia University Graduate School of the Arts, where she has served as a professor of fiction for more than a decade.

Called, “a humorist, even a comedian, a sort of stand-up tragic,” by Richard Howard, Kirshenbaum has twice won Critics’ Choice Awards and was selected as one of the Best Young American Novelists by Granta Magazine. Kirshenbaum was also a nominee for The National Jewish Book Award for her novel Hester Among the Ruins. Her new novel, The Scenic Route, was published in May, 2009. Of the novel, Gary Steyngart says, “The Scenic Route is warm, wise, and very difficult to put down."

Binnie Kirshenbaum lives and works in New York City.

Binnie Kirshenbaum was born in Yonkers and grew up in Westchester County. After attending Columbia University as an undergraduate, Kirshenbaum earned her MFA at Brooklyn College. She taught at Wagner College before joining the faculty at the Writing Division of Columbia University's School of the Arts.

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am loving this book. I love the way it's written--very subtle but one of those where you go back and reread sentences because you suddenly realize the impact of them. Incredibly understated and so, so great. EDIT: Okay, so I'm editing this because I was so loving this book and then the end SUUUUUUUUUUUCKED. So there's that.

[Shauna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bizarre, with somewhat worrisome morals and confusing religious undertones. Valentine looks just like the Virgin Mary, but she is a young Jewish girl, and she has a crush on her awkward English teacher…. The one part that really tickled me was when Valentine discovers that Mary and Jesus were Jewish--before the advent of Christianity. What a marvelous revelation for her!

[L]

I loved the writing style, the conversational tone full of asides. Although I’m sure I missed many of the religious references—I have no clue about the canaries—I liked this.

This was very different from “Rabbits for Food,” and that’s not a complaint—the author seems very versatile.

[Susanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel this book is somewhere between 3 and 4 stars, but because it was such a pleasure to read I gave it four.
Although essentially sad and serious the book is written with such a beautiful and sharp sense of humour that you don't want it to end.
Themes of loneliness, religion, love, death and teenage pregnancy are cleverly interwoven.
However the book leaves quite a few loose ends, and some of the stories seem not relevant to each other, but on the other hand, maybe that's what makes it similar to real life.

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of those books which you're not exactly sure why you are reading it, but you just need to know what happens, in the end. Then, you get to the end and you kind of feel like it was a waste of book reading time, since there are so many other great books out there.
I have a rule, if you cannot get into the book, by page 50, then it's not worth reading, but I broke it, for this book and am very disappointed. This is not something I would recommend to another person.

[Duy Tran · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a superbly-written book: it kept me reading all the way through, even though there is very thinly plotted. It's not the plot, but the writer's tragic sense of humor which kept me going. Each character is tragic--each slightly in their own way.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great suprise book. Sent to me by Jason's Aunt Adelaide (who has great literary taste:) One of those rare books that just sucks you in and you feel like you acctually met these people.

[Anne Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down! It was so intriguing, yet simple, with snippets of the lives of ordinary people living day to day in Brooklyn. I don't know if the author was trying to give the reader a message with this story, but I do have to admit I was not happy with the ending.
Overall, this story, which takes place in Brooklyn in the 1970's, is about a Jewish high school girl, Valentine, who looks like the Virgin Mary. The story is somewhat similar to a modern day take on what Mary's life could have been like in "modern day." Valentine's mother is a single mom, her husband having left her when Valentine was a baby. Her life is all about eating and playing mah-Jong with her girlfriends. Valentine has a crush on her math teacher, John Wosileski, a nerdy type of guy, no friends, no life. The biology teacher, JoAnne Clarke, also a loner, and John, date for a little while, but it doesn't work out. On the day John was going to propose marriage to JoAnne, Valentine drops by unexpectedly at Mr. Wosileski's apartment, and let's just say, distracts him...John has also a crush on Valentine and thinks of her all the time.
As time passes by, Valentine becomes more and more curious about Catholic saints, Jewish holidays, and asking for shawls for Hanukkah. She also is pregnant. No one makes a big deal that Valentine never mentions the father and that she's still a virgin. When she gives birth to a baby girl, her mother and her friends are beyond happy. But the happiness comes to an end when Valentine disappears a few months later, supposedly never being heard from again, or is she where she was destined to be...wearing her white and blue shawls?

[Trina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the characters, but found the ending to be strange and obtuse.

[Tom Anichini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great title, promising first chapter.

I imagine readers of the right demographic will enjoy it much more than I did.

[David Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I heard the description of this book, I couldn't resist. The main character is an odd Jewish girl growing up in the Canarsie neighborhood of Brooklyn in the 1970s. I was an odd Jewish boy growing up in the same neighborhood in the 1970s and 80s. Kirshenbaum's depiction of the area at that time is well done; funny and nostalgia inducing and a bit kitchy. Very enjoyable, and the book is very readable. I couldn't put it down.

But the story is quite strange. And the characters, while often lots of fun, are mostly caricatures. The Jewish ladies who play Mah Jong and eat apple strudel. The Italian neighbor who makes extra ziti and kisses the Madonna when she passes her portrait. The single high school biology teacher who is jealous of her attractive students.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of people are mocked in this book, but most especially Catholics. The omniscient pov makes it especially snarky. So beware. I often chuckled in the earlier parts but it began to feel mean-hearted so I winced more than laughed. Like always, it becomes about taste. If you're looking for something uplifting, probably not for you. If you enjoy making fun of miserable unfortunate people, and faith, this is your book. I gave it five stars because it's perfect for what it is. I didn't entirely enjoy it, but I was interested in what happened and that's saying something.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let's see, as a 40 year old Southern Baptist who knew a handful of Jewish and Catholic girls growing up, I enjoyed the banter in this book. It's a coming of age book at its core, with every character experiencing some level of self-discovery. I laughed out loud at The Girls, and cringed with the unfortunate recollection of inexperienced fumbling around with boys and trying to figure out friendships. I could've stayed in the living room eavesdropping during mah-jongg (?) games and done without the John, Joanne and Beth tangents. Maybe that's why the ending worked out the way it did...

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book grimly illustrated what kind of life I led before I met my husband. It reminded me that some people don't find that escape from unending misery. Some people lead rotten, boring, meaningless lives and sometimes do nothing to change it. I feel so lucky for the life I have and the people in it.

I really enjoyed this book. But I'm a pessimist (mostly, though my outlook has become a lot more bright in recent years).

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you read this, tell me what you think. I think I hated it, but it kept me reading right the way through. So what does that mean? It was supposed to make people think about religion, but not for me. It made me think about how people make choices...choices the characters made, choices I've made, choices friends and aquaintances have made. The end was oddly satisfying...and I can't tell you more than that or it will ruin it for you.

[Tricia Sutton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This took a long time to read, almost a year. Always getting set aside for another book. 10 months was spent getting through the first half. It picked up after that. There never was any point to the book that I could detect, and the ending sucked. But other than that I loved the writing, the humor and loved the omniscient POV. I will read anything by Ms. Kirshenbaum from here on out, including this one again now that I have fallen in love with her writing. She has a new fan.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Jewish girl (Valentine) who looks like the Virgin Mary is in love with a teacher who fantasizes about her. Another teacher's in love with same teacher. Valentine goes to teacher's house, they have sex, but her hymen doesn't break. She gets pregnant, even though she's technically a virgin. She thinks she's Mary all over again but when she gives birth to a girl, she runs away to a nunnery.

[Gato Negro · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story about a young Jewish girl who looks like the Virgin Mary. This book contains interesting tales of heartache with carefully crafted twists and turns. Great Mother-Daughter struggle. As the tale progresses, you can almost guess what's coming, but think, "naw...can't be" and then it happens. A Must Read. This author is the best!

[Bryce · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unpleasant and dreary.

Kirshenbaum tried to recreate the subtle magic realism that Jonathan Lethem captures so easily, but she falls incredibly flat. Instead of fantastical and unsettling, this book just comes across as a little weird.

A lesson in how people ruin their own lives.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very origianl, funny and thoroughly entertaining book. One of Kirshenbaum's best. A mother is a teensy worried about her adolescent daughter who not only looks like, but believes she is the Virgin Mary, never mind that the family is Jewish!

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only silver lining was the characters were consistent. The writing often dragged on and on and overflowed with qualifiers. I didn't like any of the characters (and there were too many she tried to focus on) and there was no point to the story.

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I lived in Canarsie, graduated from Canarsie HS. I was walking through the neighborhood with the characters and I think most of the characters were spot on. I don't want to give anything away. It's worth a read.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read. Really interesting character development that explores the lonesome-ness that lurks beneath a person's unhappiness, and attempts to find happiness and solace. Enjoyed the setting in disco era Brooklyn as well.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Mary phase read... very good one.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fantastic book! Great descriptions of life in Brooklyn in the 70s. Fascinating characters.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have given this book 4 stars if I rated it before I read the last chapter. I was disappointed with the ending.

[Kerri · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is awful. I would not recommend it.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I clearly remember reading this book. From the exterior, it is confusing and impossible to comprehend. But embedded within are true wisdom only some can see. Of course, exciting plot.

[souffle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book but I was so confused at the end! Valentine just disappeared...